"let's play mathe"

[ArtK78]

Would that be so unusual? I think that you are not interfering enough over their strong club if you wait for 5-5 or even 5-4 in your suits.

If you are interfering with 4-4 in the majors over a strong club, you will be caught by good opponents. Of course, against bad opponents, anything works.

[mycroft]

However, if you wait for 5-5:

 

- you will be eaten alive by the strong clubbers, on auctions where others are at 2M or higher by opener's rebid;

- you will never pick off their suit - which cuts both ways, too, but how many 4-1 breaks have you picked up anyway?

 

Having said that, when it comes up, it's great. Works better if you don't make it clear that minimum length is 5-5, but nobody *here* would do that.

 

The reason that double = majors is that yes, it's a "give 'em two extra calls" call, but it's the one that still puts you ahead in the competition, as you are claiming the high ground (the majors). So a lot of that extra space "isn't helpful". Of course, with 4=4 potential, they have to cater to us picking off their major; but it's still one of the safest use for that "cuts-both-ways call".